The Nigerian Senate has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) not to extend the December 31, 2025 deadline for the production of alcohol in sachets.
The decision followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Presenting the motion, Ekpenyong said the move aligns with global regulatory standards and international best practices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm among Nigerians.
He recalled that in 2018, the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC, and industry stakeholders, including the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), voluntarily signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to gradually phase out sachet and small-bottle alcoholic beverages.
Ekpenyong explained that the Federal Government had earlier granted a one-year moratorium in 2024 to allow producers to exhaust existing stock and transition to compliant packaging alternatives.
However, the senator expressed concern that some manufacturers were lobbying for another extension, warning that such actions would weaken regulatory authority, endanger public health, and sustain the availability of harmful alcoholic products in the market.
“As the December 2025 deadline approaches, certain manufacturers are lobbying for another extension, thereby undermining the regulatory process and jeopardizing public health,” Ekpenyong said. “We cannot continue to expose our youths to cheap, easily accessible alcohol that destroys lives and endangers public safety.”
He warned that the continued sale of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet form contributes to addiction, impaired cognitive development, school dropouts, domestic violence, and road accidents, particularly among commercial drivers and young people.
Ekpenyong added that compliant manufacturers were now disadvantaged compared to those still producing non-compliant products, creating unfair competition in the market.
Following a thorough debate, lawmakers praised Ekpenyong for raising the issue, emphasizing stricter enforcement and public awareness.
Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) supported the call, describing the easy access to cheap alcohol as a growing social problem.
“The easy availability of cheap alcohol is fueling social vices. We must act now to save our young generation from self-destruction,” he said.
In his ruling, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the resolution as a timely step to protect public health and youth welfare.
He urged NAFDAC to ensure full implementation of the ban by December 2025, stressing that any further delay would undermine Nigeria’s anti-substance abuse efforts.
“This is a matter of urgency,” Akpabio said. “The agency must act decisively to protect Nigerians, especially our young people, from the dangers of unregulated alcohol consumption.”
In 2020, the Nigerian government began moves to phase out the packaging and sale of alcohol in sachets and small bottles.
To curb availability and abuse, producers were directed to cut production by 50 percent of their pre-2020 capacity starting January 31, 2020.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that such packaging formats have worsened alcohol abuse across the country.
